Daybreaker parties Bern: early morning dancing

They dance at dawn

Early morning parties are all the rage in New York. Now the people of Bern are also turning day into night.

Published today at 6:31 am

Electro beats and disco lights: some things in the gas kettle are reminiscent of a conventional party.

Photo: Raphael Moser

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BotTalk

Shortly:

Early morning parties are popular in the USA.
In Bern, this doesn’t yet move the masses.
Celebrating during the day is definitely trendy.

Shortly before half past five in the morning. Every now and then someone cycled to the office or workshop in the dark. Otherwise there is still peace in Bern’s streets. Anyone who has been out for too long and made their way home at dawn knows this face of the federal city. On this barely dawned day, the party is yet to begin.

A somewhat sleepy group at the beginning meets in the Bernese Gaskessel for a wake and shake party. After a few warm-up yoga exercises, electronic beats are soon blaring from the speakers and colorful spotlights are whizzing through the room. That works. More or less anyway. Some rocked a little hesitantly at first. Others close their eyes, raise their arms in the air, dance uninhibitedly. By the time the group activity is over – putting your arms around your shoulders and jumping in a circle – everyone is relaxed. Despite sobriety.

Shakes and energy bars

Instead of alcohol and drugs, there are banana shakes, mint-flavored water and energy bars. Organizer Ashley Rose Loft is an advocate of the “healthy lifestyle”. Loft, a full-time tennis coach and someone who doesn’t skimp on euphoria, says: “People should start the day with energy.” The 30-year-olds came up with the idea for the early morning parties in their second home, the USA.

Ashley Rose Loft found inspiration for the party in the USA.

Photo: Raphael Moser

So-called daybreaker parties have long been a trend in New York. Before work, hundreds of people flock to the clubs, turning day into night. The concept also attracts crowds in Utrecht, Holland.

Will that one day also be the case in Bern? The group of partygoers is still manageable. Around a dozen women and men, some in their early 20s, others in middle age, are having fun in the gas boiler. This doesn’t dampen the mood.

Andrin Fankhauser sees it as an adventure: “Starting the day like that is something different.” Otherwise he would get up half an hour before the lecture, said the psychology student. He says he doesn’t roam the clubs at night as much as he used to, he says, who is just 21 years old. Maybe once a month. “It gives me more to meet up with friends at home or in a bar.” She could talk there in peace.

He is not alone in this. Bern’s nightlife has come under pressure. Recently the chapter, the riding school and the Brasserie Lorraine called for financial help and launched appeals for donations.

Corina Liebi, managing director of the Bern Bar and Club Commission, says: “Overall, there are no fewer people in the nightlife.” But there is a shift away from clubs towards bars and pop-ups. Since the pandemic, people have changed their usage behavior and paid more attention to their health. Clubs could differentiate themselves from the competition with a wider range of non-alcoholic drinks.

Less alcohol, less vulgarity

Dark circles under the eyes were once considered a sign of coolness after a night of drinking, but the zeitgeist has long since changed. Afternoon parties called Daydance are popular. Mosaik Events GmbH, which is also known in Bern for pop-ups such as Peter Flamingo, Kater Karlo and Oscar Elch, has been holding such events regularly since 2012. For example in the Gurten Pavilion. The atmosphere is more pleasant in the afternoon, says party and catering entrepreneur Dominic Kummer. “We never had any insults.” I do drink alcohol at a day dance. “People come to the party in the afternoon, but not already drunk.”

Other organizers have also jumped on the trend. Last year, the city of Bern approved around ten such events. Twice as many as last year. In recent months, for example, celebrations have taken place in Wankdorf, under the Monbijou Bridge or under the motorway viaduct above the Weyermannshaus. The organizers sometimes recorded several thousand visitors.

Low-emission celebrations: Headphones are part of the program at a silent disco. (symbol image)

Photo: Oli Scarff

These gentle shifts in Bern’s celebration behavior are not well received everywhere. “The prolonged music exposure has led to individual noise complaints,” said Norbert Esseiva, head of the local and commercial police. The afternoon silent disco, like the one that took place in the Bierhübeli last summer, is likely to appeal to neighbors who are sensitive to noise. There were people dancing with headphones to the beats of the DJ.

The early morning party in the gas boiler is also quieter now. Soft sounds are playing in the background and the partygoers are fortifying themselves with one last smoothie before heading off to work or university. “Now I’m ready for the lecture,” says psychology student Andrin Fankhauser.

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Regina Schneeberger is an editor in the Bern department and focuses on educational and social issues. She also reports from the court. She studied journalism and communication at the ZHAW.More info

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topicnews · October 12, 2024

Daybreaker parties Bern: early morning dancing

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